By Surprise
by Sashaplusone
Summary: A/U fic... What if Catherine was a kindergarten teacher and Sara was a shy college student?
1. Chapter 1

The first time I saw her was at a local cafe, she was standing ahead of me in line giggling on her cell phone. I couldn't help but smile myself as I hear the sound that was obviously sent from God himself. I was broken from my smiling as she said there was this woman that was "so amazing." By the soft tone of her voice and her choice of words I would guess that she was in high school.

'Hmm...' I thought. "Interesting." I quickly reached for my vibrating cell phone when she turned around fast, dropping her paper bag in front of me.

"Oh God, I'm sorry." She said hurriedly as she picked up the bag. I laughed slightly to myself, the laugh caught in my throat as I saw her cheeks turn rosy.

"No harm, no foul." She smiled at me, and turned quickly when the annoyed cashier screamed "next."

"See you around sometime." I said softly, getting the smile back from her again, this time it was accompanied by the blush.

"Bye."

As I sit at a table alone at my favorite local bar, I hear laughing coming from a nearby table and I smile and imagine it's the girl from the cafe sitting near me.

'If only.' I think. I swirl the melting ice in my glass and frown when I realize there is no alcohol left. Waving to a few coworkers on the dance floor, I make my way to the bar and order another. I hear a loud thump to my left followed by a young, hyper girl going on and on about the apple of her eye. Trying not to be so obvious I look over and give the two a smile without thinking.

"Hey." The girl says shyly. My heart leaps as I recognize her from the cafe.

"Hey you. Wow... You're old enough to drink?" I ask with amusement in my voice.

"Yeah... barely." By now the hyper friend is eyeing us both with a goofy smile on her face. "Oh! This is my friend Jen. Jen this is..." She says trailing off, her cheeks lighting up.

"I'm Catherine." I say confidently, looking straight at the girl.

"Catherine, right." She says smiling.

"Nice to meet ya." Jen says, giving her best 'I'm available' smile. My eyes flick over and see the taller girl looking at her friend then rolling her eyes.

"So..." I say raising my eyebrow and looking straight at my interest. She looks at me and realizes it's her that I'm speaking to.

"Sara..." The girl says slowly.

"Sara... can I buy you a drink?" The victorious smile she shoots her friend makes my heart beat faster.


	2. Chapter 2

"So Sara, what's with your friend?" I ask, looking at the short, young girl showing off on the dance floor. 'I can blow her out of the water.' I think quickly, sizing her up. I watch as Sara takes a long sip of her Whiskey Sour.

"It's some competition thing. Just recently I've been getting.. Erm... attention and lately she's been acting as if every girl who talks to her, dances with her, even looks at her is some huge deal and gloats about it."

"Aha..." I say looking back to the girl on the dance floor soak up the attention she's getting. "You don't play along?"

"I don't brag, it's not a big deal to me. I'm not self centered."

"I can tell." I say quickly. I get an inquisitive look from her. "Your body language and just talking to you. You don't have a ton of self confidence and you're very humble."

"Uhh.. thanks I think." She says unsurely. I redeem myself by resting my hand on her arm, causing her eyes to flash to mine.

"That isn't a bad thing." Her face lights up as she smiles brightly at me. "Ready to make everyone in here jealous?" I can't help but smile as she looks at me confused.

I set my drink down and take her hand in mine. She follows suit with her drinks and walks with me to the dance floor. We stand about five feet or so from her friend, and I bring my hands up to her face, moving the hair away from her face and running my fingers through its softness. She smiles at me as she wraps an arm around my back. I stagger our legs and smile as she catches on and gyrates her hips to the beat of the loud music. I look over and see her friend has stopped dancing and watches us along with a good number of other people.

We smile at each other as our foreheads rest against each other's, our hips grinding together in perfect synch. I surprise her by dropping low, my face stopping close to her belt buckle. I look up at her without tilting my head up, and watch as she sucks in a large breath. Playing along, she bends her back and leans back as far as she can. I smile cockily at our display as the crowd around us cheers loudly. I rise up and lean forward, curving against her. She smiles as we straighten out and I turn around. Her hands move to my hips as I grind my ass hard against her. I look again at the circle that's gathered around us and turn my head to the side. Her head dips down, her breath tickling the side of my throat, and it seems the room's temperature rose way too fast.

Her hands slowly move to the front of my stomach and continue a slow path downward. I bit my lip as we continue dancing as her hands move painfully slow. Just as they are about to reach their destination, they jerk to my hips before she turns me to face her quickly. I let out a throaty laugh before leaning my forehead against hers again. We smile brightly at each other and pull back as the song comes to a close. Hearing cheers once again, I lean up and give her a quick kiss on the cheek causing her already red cheeks to darken. Taking my hand in hers, Sara leads me back to our spot at the bar. She shouts an order to the bartender ordering us a shot.

"That was so fucking hot." Sara says with a laugh.

"You're telling me! I need a few cold showers after that." I admit as I break out my slow spreading smile.

"Hmm.. and why's that?" She smiles confidently at me and I'm cut off by the shots being set in front of us.

"To making the place jealous?" I say looking at a few people still watching us, her jealous friend included.

"Definitely." She says smiling. We clink our glasses together and drink the shot quickly.

"That was hot." Jen says walking up to us, standing with her legs staggered and arms crossed.

"To say the least." I say looking at Sara, noticing she tensed up.

"Wanna dance?" Jen asks, tilting her head up before smiling.

"I already have a dancing partner. You'll have to ask her."

"What do you say, Sara?" Jen asks, smiling daringly.

"Find your own." She says, wrapping her arm around my back.

"Oh--kay." Jen says mildly jealous.

"Do you want to get out of here?" I ask louder than usual, making sure Jen heard me. Sara gives me a half smile before nodding. "Nice meeting you, Jen." I say without even looking at her.

"Are you guys coming back? Cause I'm Sara's ride." Jen says slightly agitated. I turn around and give her a Cheshire cat smile.

"Don't you worry, I'll make sure to give her a ride."


	3. Chapter 3

"I can't believe you said that!" Sara exclaims loudly, laughing freely. I laugh with her and shrug.

"I suppose I don't have much modesty." I say simply. She turns around and walks backwards in front of me.

"That was the most fun I've had in a long time. I'm glad you were there."

"Same here. So... if your friend gets you so upset, why do you put up with her?"

"I don't know really..." She says as she slows down and turns to face the same direction as me. "I guess because she's the only one who goes out rather than sit at home."

"Well it's not good for your self esteem putting up with her." She hums her agreement and we stop at the traffic signal, waiting for the walk sign to illuminate. "I hardly know anything about you." I say suddenly. Sara looks at me and frowns before nodding her head. "I know that when you think no one is paying attention you laugh freely. I know that you think some woman is 'so amazing' as you put it."

"Hey, in my defense I get a crush about every five minutes and they don't last too long either."

"Do you have a crush on me?" I ask seriously.

"Uhh. Wow, you're just going to come out and ask that. Just like that?"

"Yep. Let's get some coffee."

"Alright!" Sara says, obviously thinking she was off the hook.

After ordering our drinks, we head over to a secluded booth in the corner of the dimly lit cafe.

"So do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Have a crush on me?" Even in the scarce lighting it's evident that her face lit up like Rudolph's nose. "Question answered."

"It's different though."

"How so?"

"Well.." She takes a sip from the paper cup. "With the others it's pretty temporary. It's some woman I dance with at a bar or club and after that night I don't think about her again."

"So you'll think about me again?"

"I already have." Answering my questioning look, she continues. "The cafe."

"That's right. I have to say, I've thought about you too." She smiles at me and I think my heart has melted in my chest.

"So... what do you do?" she asks, as she spins her coffee cup in a circle.

"I'm a teacher."

"Really? Wow. What grade?"

"Kindergarten." She smiles brightly.

"That must be awesome working with little kids."

"It is; I love it. Do you like kids?"

"Love them. I'm like a kid magnet... pretty much a jungle gym to them." I laugh at the thought. "I would love to have my own someday."

"So would I. I want a baby girl so bad. I even know what I would name her."

"Tell me."

"It's pretty common, but I absolutely adore the name Lindsey, with an e."

"Hmm... Lindsey with an e. Cute." She jokes and I can't help but smile. "I have a feeling you'd be a great mother."

"Thanks. So what do you do?" I ask.

"I'm a student at WLVU."

"Really? What are you studying?"

"Physics, but I attended this pretty cool seminar. I know, who thinks seminars are cool? This one was. It was about Forensics, really neat stuff."

"Yeah, I've heard about it. I don't know if I could do something like that though... all that death. I might come unglued if I had a victim that was a child."

"I can see that. I guess it's so interesting to me because I've been in the spot where I've needed help. Forensics sticks out to me because the evidence speaks for itself."

"I'm curious to know what you meant by that, but I'll leave it alone."

"Thanks. What did you do before you were a teacher?"

"Well... I was a horse trainer at a ranch in Montana when I was a teen. I moved here to be with this jackass that I ended up dumping. I was actually a dancer through school."

"I guess that's not too shocking with the way you dance. What kind of dancing did you do?"

"Exotic dancing. It was just a job... no drugs involved, just ambition to make money."

"I can respect that. Gotta do what you gotta do to make it."

"Agreed. Ready to go?"

"Yep." She says as she takes both our cups and deposits them in the waste bin.

"So..." I say slowly as we exit the coffee shop. "I'm your ride, where would you like to go?"

"Hmmm... not home."

"Okay." I say with a laugh. "My place?"

"Is this where this 'ride' will take place?" I raise my eyebrow at her suggestion and watch as her smug facade is taken over by the reddening of her cheeks.

"It can... or the car... but I have to say there are lots of places rides can take place in my apartment."


	4. Chapter 4

"This is my place." I announce as I open the door to my condo. Sara's mouth drops as she looks the place over. The living room is painted a crimson color with silver and black accents complete with contemporary black furniture.

"It's amazing!" I smile at the compliment and head into the open kitchen.

"Would you like something to drink?" I ask, looking at her from over the bar.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever's fine." She says distracted as she looks at the spines of the books that fill the bookcase. I smile to myself and grab us both a bottle of water. I hear a laugh as I walk into the room. "You have kids books?"

"Of course! Those are fantastic might I add." I say pointing to my collection of the original Curious George books. "I read them aloud to my kids."

"Charlotte's Web is my favorite... even if it does make me cry."

"It's a great book. This is random, but... do you enjoy puzzles?" I ask, thinking I sound like a complete geek.

"I have an interest in forensics, don't I?" She says with a geeky smile. "I love them."

"Fantastic!" I say as I reach underneath my sofa. "I started this thing a long time ago and I'm dying to finish it so I can hang it in the hallway. It's the strip." I show her the box and the half finished puzzle and she smiles.

"I'm always up for a challenge." She says cracking her knuckles.

"Okay my turn." She says biting her lip, thinking of a good question. "What CD is in your stereo right now?" I think for a second before smiling.

"Well, there's a mix CD in the car, as you know. In my home stereo is John Mayer."

"Very nice. Your turn."

"Okay, let me think..." I say smiling wickedly. "Who was the last person you kissed?" Sara groans and covers her face. "Oh come on, you have to answer!"

"Just some girl I went out with. It totally didn't work out with her, but... yeah. My turn."

"Fair enough, hit me!" I cheer to myself as I take in my half completed section as she thinks.

"What's the most unusual thing you know how to do?" I look at her completely perplexed.

"Ummm... wow, I don't know. Let me think..." Sara smiles triumphantly at me, finding a question I don't immediately have an answer for. "Ha! I got it. I am extremely great at playing practical jokes. I guess that doesn't really answer the question though. I'm a professional t.p.'er."

"Oh my God, that is insane." Sara says in between laughs. "I so couldn't imagine you t. someone's house.

"I did it all the time in high school... found reasons to. Okay, my turn. What food could they not pay you enough to eat?"

"That is the most random question ever."

"Three more pieces."

"Huh?" Sara asks, confused.

"We only have these three left." I say, pointing to the small space missing from the puzzle.

"Oh yeah, right." She says giving me two of the pieces and keeping one for herself. I place one piece in its spot and wait for her to lay hers down. "I think I would have to go with fried seafood. Gross!" I laugh and put the remaining piece in its place, completing the puzzle.

"We did it!"

"Technically you finished it."

"You helped."

"Hey, I'm not denying that." She says putting her hands up acting as if she was threatened. She laughs and I join in before yawning.

"I'm beat." I look at the clock, and almost do a double take. "It's after four."

"Whoa! Time flew by."

"Must be the great company."

"I agree."

I wake up to bright sunshine and birds chirping. I immediately smile as I think about the young girl who agreed to stay over last night. After a long argument, I finally gave up and let her sleep on the couch.

Walking down the hall, I crinkle my eyebrows as I find the couch empty, the blankets folded. Atop the pillow is a small, pink note.

Catherine,  
I had so much fun last night. I haven't had that great of a time in a long time, thank you. I hope to see you again soon. Here's my number.  
-Sara

I smile to myself and bite my lip as I think about how happy she makes me.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello?"

"Hey Sara?" I pause. "It's Catherine."

"Hey Catherine, how are you?" She asks, her voice sounding lighter.

"I'm great, how are you doing?"

"Well, thanks. I'm just in between classes. Are you on your lunch break?"

"Close.. It's recess." She laughs. "But I had a little bit of time and I thought I'd give you a call."

"I'm glad you did. I didn't get your number, and thought you got swept off your feet by some other woman." Sara teased. "Although I think it's hard to compare to my mad puzzle skills."

"Oh yes, and that's a must for me." I say laughing as she joins in.

"How is class going today?" I smile at her thoughtfulness.

"Great. We did finger-painting today in arts and crafts."

"See, now that's cool. I'm a finger-painting specialist."

"Really?"

"Yep. I have a few masterpieces scattered all across the countries in various museums and…"

"Okay, right." I say laughing.

"I'll have to show you sometime." I can hear her smile through the phone.

"Of course." I pause. "Where did you run off to the other day… not that I'm being nosy… it's just…."

"You were expecting me to still be there." Sara finishes for me.

"Yeah…" I say, embarrassed.

"I had an early class. I debated on waking you, but you looked so peaceful. I didn't have the heart to." I smile as I think about Sara tiptoeing across my place, watching me sleep from the doorway.

"Well that was really nice of you." I say sincerely. "When is your next class?"

"In just a few minutes... My next professor is such an ass."

"What's his name?" I say, fiddling with the hem of my skirt.

"Dr. Andrews." I hold my breath and try not to laugh. "…What?" she asks as a giggle slips past my lips. At her question the floodgates break open and I laugh loudly.

"I went to grad school with him. You're right, he is an ass." I hear the bell ring behind me and I groan.

"Back to class?"

"For the both of us." I say with a smile. "Now you've got my number, and have no worries about some other woman sweeping me off my feet."

"If you say so…" she says in a teasing, disbelieving tone.

"Bye Sara."

"Goodbye."

I walk out of the neighborhood Starbucks trying to balance my school bag, the paper bag containing my blueberry muffin and my venti vanilla soy latte when I see the feet of someone stop in front of me.

"Hey." I hear from in front of me. I sigh and roll my eyes before looking up. I'm met with a big smile from Jen before she tilts her head up.

"Need some help?" She asks cockily.

"No thank you, Jen. Actually, I'm in a hurry." I say walking around her on the sidewalk.

"Where are you off to?" She asks, following me.

"Class starts at nine thirty, and I need to be there at nine."

"What are you taking?" I scoff and stop as the 'don't walk' sign illuminates.

"I teach at Edwards Elementary School."

"That sounds fun and interesting. I thought you were taking classes at the college."

"No, I don't."

"So, you and Sara really hit it off last week…"

"We did, what's your point? Are you pissed because I got her, or pissed because she got me?" Jen stops walking and her jaw drops. "I mean really Jen, are you always this relentless?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You totally ignored the fact that Sara was practically drooling over me at the bar. After we danced, you came over and pretty much dared Sara to let you dance with me. And now you're being inquisitive… so what is it?"

"Look, Sara is my friend. If anything I'm trying to see if you're good enough for her."

"That's nice. If you keep telling yourself that one day you may actually believe it's true." My phone buzzes indicating I've got a text message. I struggle to balance everything and reach my phone. I smile as soon as I see the text.

"If you were my teacher, I'd give you the reddest, shiniest apple I could find." I laugh to myself as I type out my response.

"If you were my student, I'd be in lots of trouble."

"Well, I gotta bounce. Talk to ya later." Jen says walking in the direction of the college, splitting away from me.

"Looking forward to it." I say dryly.

I look through my address book. I know I kept this number for some reason or another.

"Aha!" I say as I put my finger on the number. I dial from the office phone, and wait three rings before I hear the line pick up.

"Dr. Andrews."

"Hi, Charles, this is Catherine Braun."

"Ahh yes, Catherine Braun. How have you been?"

"I've been well, Charles. How about you?"

"Just fine. What may I ask is the reason for this call?"

"I have a question to ask you… do you have a Sara in your 12pm class on Wednesdays?

"Sara, Sara, oh yes! How can I forget. She is a handful and a half, always challenging my opinions." I smile as I think about the firecracker she is. "What about her?"

"Well I remember me doing you a favor years ago… I need you to return it."

"Anything for the gorgeous Catherine Braun." he says smoothly. I roll my eyes before speaking.


	6. Chapter 6

Lying on my bed, unable to fall asleep I stare at the window as raindrops splash against the surface, rolling down. Another loud crack of thunder and I pull the covers tighter around my shoulders and sigh. Before I realized I moved, I'm standing and heading out of the bedroom in the dark condo, sporadically lit up by lightening. I kneel on the carpet in front of the couch. Slowly, I slide the poster board that is holding the finished puzzle. Smiling, I remember my favorite detail from that night.

After realizing what time it was, we still didn't want to find sleep. I suggested turning on a movie, and Sara readily agreed. I popped in DVD and we watched, our conversation slowing. I smiled as the two main characters professed their feelings to each other, and turned when Sara didn't say anything.

"Sara?" I said softly, moving a bit of hair away from her relaxed face.

"Hmm?" I smiled as her brows crinkle before she sleepily opens her eyes.

"I'm going to turn off the movie. Sleepy time, okay?"

"Okay." she breathed. I turned off the TV and DVD player and stand up, smoothing my pants down. I flicked off the light and watched as the darkness faded away and moonlight softly lit the room. I covered her up with a throw blanket and made sure she's tucked in. "I'm sorry I fell 'sleep."

"No need to apologize, sweetheart. Get some rest." She smiled sleepily, and I returned the gesture before walking to my bedroom.

"Do you believe in love at first sight?" I hear a sleepy voice call out as I reached my bedroom door. I hesitated, and fought the urge to turn around. "I never did before. I always thought it was lust, but it's more than that. It's that attraction mixed with genuine care right off the bat. It's… scary."

"I'm.. not sure." I say, hesitating. I scrunched my eyebrows as I brought a hand up to my forehead, covering my eyes. I turned around and looked back at her, taking note that her chest was rising and falling deeply. "Sara?" I said, preparing myself to ask where that came from… if it was the movie we watched or if it was taken from real life. When I was met with nothing more than the soft sounds of breathing I smiled and turned back to my bedroom.

I'm standing in the same spot on the carpet as I was that night, turned in the same position. Lightening strikes again and the room is illuminated, showing an empty couch. I frown slightly and walk the few feet back to my bed. Closing my eyes and clutching the blankets, I try to picture the sleeping form out on the couch.

It seemed as though no matter how hard I try, I couldn't get the young girl out of my mind. I could be walking around downtown and see a woman in passing, and turn around only to realize she looked nothing like Sara. She visited me nightly in my dreams. A few times I woke up just before our lips touched, talk about frustrating. Every song that played on the radio, every lyric somehow related to her. I would find myself by myself wondering, in different situations, how she would be in the same situation with me. What kind of facial expression would she have? Would she laugh at the same things as me? I wonder if I'm dreaming all this up. Sure, I have been in relationships before but it seemed as if none of them even compare. This seems like a completely different world. Granted I've never dated a woman before, but I know that gender to me isn't a big deal. The fact that I'm okay with her being a woman is great; otherwise I would go through a lot of inner turmoil. With her, everything seems okay. I know I don't know her that well but I can feel it. I can feel I'm alright with her. She's so pure and innocent and genuinely likes me. It isn't because of my looks, or who my father is but because of who I am on the inside. I'm in way over my head!

"Charles Andrews." I say with fake enthusiasm as he reaches his big hand out in front of him. I shake his hand, and look around.

"Catherine Braun, always a pleasure." He says, genuinely happy to see me. I give him a big, fake smile.

"So, Charles…" I say taking a seat in front of his desk. "Do you have what I asked you for?" He chuckles before reaching in one of his desk drawer and pulling out a sheet of paper. I take the paper from the burly man, and look it over.

"Is that all the information you wanted?" he asks.

"Yes, it is. Thank you."

"What may I ask is your reasoning for requesting such information, Miss Braun?" I look up from the sheet of paper and give him a half glare, half questioning look. "I figure I might ask, I can possibly be terminated from my position at the University for giving out such information."

"It's a personal matter." He nods and hums to himself. "Thanks for cooperating, Charles."

"It's no problem, Miss Braun."

It's a bright sunny day, and thankfully cool with a nice breeze. I'm sitting on a park bench under a tree, watching students walk the path to their next class. I finger the cellophane that's covering the bouquet of yellow daisies sitting in my lap. The sound of rocks scraping against compacted dirt breaks me out of my thoughts. I look up and see a group of girls walking in my direction. One I immediately notice, with her annoying friend Jen talking up a storm to her left. I stand as they near, and Jen stops talking as she sees me standing up, one arm behind my back. Sara realizes Jen quit talking and looks at her, only to follow her gaze. When she sees me she looks confused, but it's immediately replaced with happiness.

"Hey!" she says as she walks up to me with a smile on her face.

"Hey Sara." I say smiling back at her. Jen waves off to the side, and I give her an 'all too nice' smile before taking off my sunglasses.

"What… How did you know I'd be here?" She asks, baffled.

"Well, I pulled some strings and I went to grad school here, so I knew my way around." Sara smiles brightly. "Oh!" I say remembering that my hand is hidden. "These are for you." I show her the bouquet and her face lights up.

"Wow! They're beautiful." She beams at me after smelling the daisies' scent. I smile as I see a red hue color her cheeks.

"I actually came here to ask… would you like to go to dinner sometime?" I say, watching her closely.

"You came all the way here to ask me? You didn't have to go through all the trouble.. you could have called."

"I could have, yes… but seeing your face light up was well worth it." She smiles and ducks her head as she looks at the flowers once again.

"I would love to." I can't help the growing smile that appears when I hear her words.

"Fantastic! How about Friday night at 8?"

"Awesome. Ummm… I can meet you at your place, and we can go from there."

"That would work." Jen taps Sara's shoulder and Sara looks at her cell phone.

"Damn, I got to go… Another fun class with Professor Andrews." She says sarcastically.

"Actually, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you were late a minute or two. In fact, I'd swear by it." Sara looks at me questioningly, and then looks at her friend signaling for her to head on without her. Jen says a quick goodbye, and we both watch her leave.

"You really didn't have to do all this.." Sara says humbly, indicating towards the flowers.

"Sara, I wanted to… really. Come on, I'll walk you to class." I say with the intention of taking my time on that walk.

"I'm nothing special, I mean I'm—"

"Please don't even finish that statement. You are to me. I see a big sweetheart who is often overlooked and has the ability to be something truly great if someone really gave her the chance." Sara stood there in awe at my words, and I internally panicked wondering if I had either said too much or been way off track. "I have faith in you."

"Thanks." She says shyly, trying to find something to focus on other than this conversation.

"Can I have a hug before you head off to class?" I ask, ducking to meet her eyes. Her eyes meet mine and she smiles before closing the distance between the two of us. I close my eyes as she embraces me, and my senses are intoxicated with her scent. I briefly imagine if this is what I had always been missing… not just a body to hold me but everything that comes with this specific body. Could I be falling for her so quickly?

"Thanks again." She says pulling back.

"No problem, have a great class."

"I will now, thanks." She says as she turns and begins to walk the short distance to the classroom door. Just as I turn to walk in the opposite direction, her voice stops me.

"You look really beautiful." I turn around and see a hint of a smile on her lips. "Really, gorgeous." I walk up to her and place a lingering kiss on her left cheek.

"You're incredibly sweet, Sara. Thank you." She nods and pivots towards the door. I watch as she twists the knob and looks at me. I give her a big, authentic smile and put my hand up to wave as she disappears inside, her eyes never leaving mine until the she is out of sight.


	7. Chapter 7

I exhale loudly and look at the sky. The evening had been perfect so far. It began with a quiet dinner at a Western European restaurant on an outdoor balcony overlooking Lake Mead, and now we're sitting on a small dock with our feet in the water as we look at the sun slowly setting.

"I never thought I would be here." Sara says out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" I ask, turning my head to look at her profile.

"This all just seems so… surreal." I hum in response and look out at the sun that is slowly disappearing behind the water, the bright orange and pink colors look as if they are tinting the water to match.

"I know what you mean. Everything is flowing so well. But that's good right?" She turns and looks at me. "I mean, if things were moving along terribly the first thought you would have is, 'this isn't working out.'"

"Yeah." We both turn to look at a pack of seagulls circling the water a short distance away.

"I'm so glad you came with me." She looks at me and smiles big.

"I'm glad you asked… if you wouldn't have you might have been waiting a while."

"Shyness?"

"Yep!" She kicks the water, and squints her eyes as she looks out onto the horizon.

"For what it's worth, I would have waited. I wanted to surprise you though. But look, we're here and having a good time. I'm completely comfortable with you."

"I am too. That… is new." I smile at her.

"I'm glad I could be your first then." A slow smile creeps across her face and I find my eyes glued to her mouth. I watch as her smile begins to fade, and my eyes flick up to hers. I watch as her eyes move from my mouth, back up to meet my eyes as we slowly move closer to one another. As we get a breath away from each other's lips she hesitates. I meet her eyes, and touch my finger tips to her jaw line.

"This is real. I'm real." I whisper, sensing her reason for hesitation and smile into the kiss as her lips softly press against mine. Her hand cradles the back of my head as she peppers soft fleeting kisses against my lips. My left hand drops to grip her hip as I move closer to her. As if she's reading my mind, her mouth opens slightly and my tongue meets hers. As we slowly kiss, my body prickles and tingles and my heads spins as if the world is spiraling at lightening speed. With one soft, chaste kiss I pull back to take in a lung full of air. Out of the corner of my eye I watch as the background slowly twirls to a stop. The sound of seagulls and water sloshing against the wooden posts of the dock fade in, but I'm left with a heart that feels like it's nearly vibrating from beating so fast.

"You're really good at that." I state, looking into her eyes.

"Well, you know, I do have some tricks up my sleeve."

"Really." I tease. "You'll have to show me." I lean back in and our mouths meet each other as if they have a hundred times before. Lips and tongues tangle and untangle languidly as heartbeats increase.

"Another time." She whispers as she breaks the kiss. I feel a slight pang of disappointment in my stomach, but I nod and smile at her.

My eyes check the clock as they open for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight. I sigh as I disengage the alarm, as it is about to go off in ten minutes anyway. After getting through my morning routine, I head out the door with my keys in hand determined that today is going to be nothing less than a great day. As I exit Starbucks, Jen came walking from my left. I try not to grit my teeth as I think about how jealous this girl gets when it comes to her friend.

"Hey Catherine!" Jen says, greeting me with her usual, annoying spunk.

"Jen." I say in a curt tone.

"How is your day going?" she prods.

"Well, actually… had a good night last night so I'm still enjoying the leftover emotions."

"Ahh really. I talked to Sara last night, seems as though she too had a good night last night." I smile at the mention of her name.

"Well that's really great to hear."

"I'm really happy for the two of you… but don't hurt her." I furrow my brow in confusion. "Really, she's been hurt a lot."

"Not that it's any of your business, but my intention isn't to hurt her."

"Just be careful."

"Look, I hardly think waiting for me outside a café and warning me not to hurt her is warranted. Why don't you back off?" I watch as she rocks back on her heels and crosses her arms around her chest.

"I'm only trying to protect her."

"Protect her or run off competition?" After a long period of shocked silence, I add, "Thought so."

By the time I set my belongings down in my classroom, my cell beeps indicating I have a new text message. I bite my lip as I open it, and smile as the name is what I hoped to see.

"And how can I stand here with you and not be moved by you? Would you tell me how could it be any better than this?"

I feel as if the air is stolen from my lungs. My whole body tingles as I reread her words for what seems like a thousand times. Finally, I type out a response.

"Where did that come from?"

"They're song lyrics." I make a mental note to google them as soon as I get home. Before I have a chance to respond, I get another message.

"Have an amazing day, beautiful."

Kids begin filtering into the class room, talking animatedly to their friends about their weekend activities. Before the bell rings, I write my response.

"You too, babe"


	8. Chapter 8

After an exhausting bout of parent-teacher conferences, I decide a drink is exactly the perfect medicine my body is craving. I load my books into my messenger bag and slip on the black blazer I went with, complimenting my emerald green blouse nicely.

I walk to a nearby bar and take a seat. The bartender comes over, his face lighting up as he gives me his best smile.

"Well hello, Catherine. How are you doing this evening?" he asks, leaning against the counter.

"Had an exhausting day, but I can't complain." I say, smiling back at him.

"Little munchkins get out of hand?" I laugh softly at the thought.

"Parents." I simply say, as he nods in understanding.

"I've got exactly what you need." He says before turning around, grabbing a couple of bottles. I smile to myself as I look up at the TV, a college football game playing. My curiosity gets the best of me, and I take a glance around the crowded establishment. There are various college students in clusters, cheering at the game.

"Here ya go!" the bartender says excitedly, placing a soft pink colored drink in front of me. "It's called a pink Cadillac." I smile at him before taking a drink.

"Wow, that is amazing!"

"I'm glad you like it. I'll be back to check on you." He says, smiling before walking over to a group of customers.

My phone beeps; alerting me I have a text message. I reach into the pocket of my overcoat and pull out the device.

'Hey, would you like to grab a drink tonight?' I smile before typing out my response.

'Already am, but just began. Join me?' I set my phone down on the bar in front of me before swirling my drink, impatiently waiting on a response.

'I'd love to, where are you?' I reply with the name of the bar and wait. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a half empty beer bottle placed down on the bar next to me. I close my eyes for a second, hoping whoever the guy is, he goes away.

"I really don't know how I missed such a gorgeous woman walk into the bar." A curious voice says. A smile immediately lights up my face as I turn to see Sara smirking at me, her head cocked to the side.

"Hmm… it's a shame I missed her walk in. Where did she head to?" I ask, playing along, swiveling in my stool so I'm facing her. Sara takes a step forward, bumping my knees apart as she does so.

"I didn't really notice. I was too busy thinking about this blonde I know." She whispers, her voice dropping an octave. I turn my head slightly, my cheek against hers.

"Tell me about her." I huskily say back.

"Well…" she pauses, I can feel her cheeks pull into a slight smile. "Like I said, she's blonde. She's around 5' 6" or so. She has the sexiest voice." She pulls back slightly to lock eyes. "THE most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen." I smile brightly at her "…and a smile that makes me weak in the knees." I lean forward, the shortest distance to her lips and kiss her slowly.

"You're amazing." I whisper to her, as we pull back from each other.

"I'm lucky." She corrects, smiling before kissing me.

"Are you two going to come up for air?" A voice asks from behind us. Sara giggles against my mouth before pulling back to say "no." and giving me a quick peck on the lips.

"Hey Catherine, what are you doing here?" Jen asks, all decked out in rainbows and leather pants.

"It looks like I'm being picked up." I say, winking at Sara.

"Ahh, gotcha." Jen says, uncomfortably. "Sara, there's someone I want you to meet." Jen says, stepping forward to link arms with Sara. "Excuse me Catherine." I clench my jaw, and shoot daggers at the short girl, but a look from Sara causes my features to soften.

"I'm sorry, Cath. I'll be right back." I give her a small smile before nodding and watching her walk off. My eyes take in the sight of her long, muscular back that's hidden underneath a WLVU t-shirt, to the tight jeans that accentuate one of her finest assets.

I watch as Jen drags Sara up to a young blonde. Sara seems friendly, but oblivious to what's going on. Jen gives her a nudge and sends Sara stumbling into the younger girl.

"I'm sorry." I vaguely hear Sara say before turning around and giving Jen a pissed off look.

"It's okay.. Sara, right?" The girl says, touching my girl's arm. What the hell is going on and WHY am I still sitting here?! "Jen has told me all about you." The girl says, giving Sara her best smile.

I grab my drink and slowly make my way over to them; Jen looks over her shoulder at me and clenches her jaw. I look the blonde up and down; she looks like she could be my younger sister.

"Look, Im not exactly sure what's going on…" Sara begins.

"Cassie." The girl finishes.

"Cassie… I don't know what Jen's told you but I'm…" This… girl… Cassie steps forward and reaches to touch Sara's face.

"Taken." I say, wrapping my free hand around Sara's waist. I feel Sara relax into my touch before turning to me and giving me the sweetest smile. "I'm Catherine." I say, extending my hand to the young girl.

"Hi Catherine, I'm Cassie." She looks completely embarrassed. "My apologies, I didn't know.."

"I know." I say, giving Jen my dirtiest look. She looked slightly shocked at the action, and wandered off to join a group of college kids watching the game intently.

A few drinks later, we all seemed to be feeling the alcohol. Cassie turned out to be quite a sweet girl. She was captain of the school's volleyball team, and in honor's classes. I excuse myself to the restroom to freshen up, trusting the young girl not to hit on Sara again.

I'm finishing up drying my hands when Sara walks into the bathroom. I turn around to see her leaning against the closed restroom door.

"Hey." She says slowly, calculated.. like she was trying to sound completely sober. I grin at her as I walk over to her.

"Hey yourself." Her hands move to hold my hips before she smiles lightly.

"I was being completely honest earlier. I am so, so lucky."

"Yeah?" I say, tilting my head, my hair framing my face. She bites her lip as she looks at me.

"Very lucky." I take a step forward, pressing my body against hers, feeling her groan. "Catherine, if you don't…" She starts, and then trails off.

"Don't what?" I watch as she swallows hard.

"I feel like I'm going to explode if you don't kiss me." I bring my right hand up and place it against her chest, over her heart. Her heart is beating so fast. Her hands squeeze my hips, as I lean forward and kiss her hard. I feel my senses slip into overload as her tongue slips into my mouth. I moan as I think about how her tongue would feel on my skin, and other places. She slips a leg between mine and I gasp loudly into her mouth. One of her hands moves to the bottom of my shirt, slipping underneath as her leg grinds against me.

As fate would have it, a knock on the door halts her actions. I groan loudly and lean against her, panting.

"Fuck." I say, trying to catch my breath.

"We probably shouldn't be doing this here anyway." Sara says amused. I lean up against her and kiss her again. Another knock on the door interrupts the kiss.

I sigh and take two steps back, pulling Sara with me. The door swings open to see two middle aged women, looking quite bothered by the restroom being temporarily closed off. Standing outside the restroom door, Sara's eyes meet mine.

"Let's go." I say, grabbing her hand and pulling us towards the exit. I grab my work bag on the way out.

"Where are we going?" she asks as we step outside. My arm shoots up as I hail us a taxi.

"My place."


	9. Chapter 9

I can barely get the key through the door; my hands are shaking so much. I am both incredibly impatient to see where this goes, but also hesitant knowing that alcohol is involved. I squeeze my eyes shut, closing out negative thoughts and try not to over think.

The door to my apartment swings open with a slight creak, and I sigh feeling the cool air hit my overheated skin. I dump my work bag and shoes on the floor, out of the way and make my way through the darkness to turn on the hall light.

"Sara." I call out in a sing-song voice. I turn around to find her standing right behind me, a smirk gracing her features. I grab her hand behind me and lead her through the doorway, spinning to shut the door behind her. She stands at arm's length, looking me up and down. Her hands cup each side of my face before trailing down, fingers dancing along my collarbones, over my shoulders, down my arms, until she grips my hips. I watch the way her eyes lazily drag themselves down the path that her hands just drew. Her eyes flicker up to meet mine, her pupils completely dilated. I reach out and wrap a finger into the belt loop of her jeans and pull her into me, our lips attracting like magnets. Her hands tangle in my hair as she turns us around, walking us backwards until I'm flush against the door. She pulls back and looks at me with the blackest eyes I've ever seen her lips pink and swollen from the pressure of our kiss.

"You are so fucking sexy right now." She nearly growls. Her hand slides across my cheek as her thumb touches my lips softly. I bite my bottom lip at her words. She smiles at me before leaning in to replace her thumb with her mouth. Mouths opened, tongues danced. I groaned as Sara took control of the kiss. Judging from her usual shy behavior this is definitely not what I expected. My arms slip around her slim waist and slowly move down to squeeze her ass. She gasps into my mouth and I smile, pulling her against me. My hands squeeze harder than the first time, and her mouth move across my jaw line and up to my ear.

Feeling and hearing heavy breaths, I swallow hard. Her lips attach themselves to my earlobe and I feel a deep moan escape from my throat. Her tongue dances along the small bit of flesh before sucking softly. My hands automatically drag themselves up higher, underneath her shirt, scraping against the skin of her back. I feel her chuckle against me before peppering kisses down the side of my throat. She lifts her head to meet my eyes as her hands slide from my neck, down my shoulders; blazer falling to the floor. Her fingers quickly slide tiny buttons through their holes and I feel a rush of cool air hit my skin.

"Damn." She groans, looking at the black lacy bra that was now on display. I bite my lip once again as I grab the bottom of her shirt in my hands and pull it over her head.

"Much better." I whisper as my hands worked the clasp on her bra. She smiles before wrapping her arms around the back of my thighs, lifting me to her waist. My head leans back against the door as I slowly grind my hips against her stomach. Our lips collide quickly and I squeal as I feel my body spin around. I wrap my arms around her neck as she walks us over to the bed. She gently lays me down on my back, her body against mine. Her lips move across my shoulder, along my collarbone and she smiles. I wrap my legs around her hips, and watch as her hands slip the straps of my bra down my shoulders. She rolls her hips hard against me and I arch my back as I moan. She takes the opportunity to unclasp my bra and throw it behind her, her lips teasing my hardened nipples. My hands slide through her hair, winding tight and pulling as my breathing expels in short gasps. Her left hand moves up, sliding over my breast; circling and lightly pinching. I feel like my body is going to explode from being so worked up. My stomach tightens with every inhale as I feel her hair dance along my stomach.

"Sara please." I breathe. She looks up at me with curious eyes and I give her a pleading look. Her right hand slides open the top of my dress pants and slides them and my panties down my legs and onto the floor. Her hands slowly peel the dress socks off of my feet before she leans over me, kissing me madly. My heart skips a beat as I feel her hand lightly tracing patterns on my inner thigh, my legs opening automatically. I kiss her as if my life depended on it as fingers dance higher and higher. Her fingers ghost over me, and touch down against my other thigh and I groan loudly. I feel Sara mark a trail of wet kisses across my chest and down my stomach before stopping. I look down and watch as she blows softly, my hips jerking off the bed in response. Her lips lightly kiss the insides of my thighs, and I feel my hands reach into my hair, my hips moving down.

"Ready, love?" She asks and I can only whimper in response. My hips tremble as I feel her lick me long and slowly. A loud moan filters into the air as my hands move down and grip the blankets, hips rising off the bed. She continues slowly licking and I feel like my whole body is going to explode. As she slowly slides her tongue inside me, I close my eyes. Being able to do nothing but exhale, whimper and moan my eyes slide shut and I feel dizzy. Her tongue curves gently and I feel my whole body stiffen. She continues moving slightly as my body shudders. Then, everything goes black.

What feels like hours later, my eyes lazily open. I see Sara standing by the nightstand, unbuttoning her jeans and shedding the remainder of her clothes.

"C'mere." I whisper hoarsely. Her eyes look to mine before she smiles softly.

"It's okay babe, get some rest." She climbs onto the bed, lifting me up towards the pillows and pulling the blankets down to cover me. My forehead scrunches as I begin to protest but my limbs feel like they've been replaced with lead. She shuts out the bedside lamp and the room darkens. Once my eyes adjust to the moonlight I see her laying beside me, her head propped on her hand.

"I've never seen anything more gorgeous in my life." She whispers, her eyes shining in the moonlight. I smile before she leans down to give me a slow, sweet kiss. I muster up all the strength in my body to roll to my side, forcing her to lie on her back. My arm drapes across her stomach as my head snuggles against her chest. I close my eyes as I listen to the rhythm of her heart beat. We are quiet for a long time, and I almost think she's fallen asleep when my voice comes seemingly out of nowhere.

"Sara, I think I'm falling for you." I listen as her heartbeat quickens.

"Me too." She whispers, kissing the top of my head. My eyes slide shut as I feel a thousand butterflies dance in my stomach.

"Don't leave in the morning." I say as I feel sleep pulling me in.

"I'm not going anywhere." She whispers.


End file.
